Education

11:21 am

Tue February 25, 2014

WSU President John Bardo Proposes 'Innovation Campus'

Wichita State President John Bardo gave an outlook of the coming 2013-2014 school year on Monday afternoon. His presentation included new construction planned for the campus.

According to Bardo, a big part of the future of the university is what they are calling "Innovation Campus." This will give an opportunity to outside companies to build infrastructure on school grounds - bringing with them new ideas, technology, jobs and internships.

He explained that this new venture will not only provide a chance for the university to grow, but that it will also allow for a strong economy surrounding the university.

Questions were raised over the burden this may pose financially, but Bardo said that the technology buildings that are planned would not be built using university fees or tuition hikes.

Bardo did say that general tuition increases were expected, but are necessary for the growth of the university.

“It’s always an even necessity, inflation keeps going up, our salaries are lower than the national average for institutions of our general type," he explained. "We’re going to have to keep adjusting salaries and move more towards the national market if we’re going to be a national player. The city needs us to be a national player and South Central Kansas needs us to be a national player."

Bardo did not name any specific companies that are interested in being a part of "Innovation Campus," but he did say they are working with several potential businesses both inside and outside of Wichita.